Media of Haiti - History

History

The media sector in Haiti has a long history and its situation today might be understood in the light of its progress through the years.

  • 1724: Media appeared for the first time in Haiti, with the newspaper of French journalist Joseph Payen who received an authorization from the King of France.
  • 1764: Antoine Marie, a printer from France, founded in Cap-Haitian the weekly publication: "Gazette de Saint-Domingue". The publication was forced to change locations to Port-au-Prince. lt had 1500 subscribers in 1788.
  • The French revolution in 1789 brought some freedom for the press, and other papers went into print. In 1802, fifty newspapers have been listed in Saint-Domingue.
  • 1804: The « Gazette politique et commerciale d'Haïti», the first publication in the new independent country. This publication dropped out of circulation.
  • 1806: When the Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines died on October 17, 1806. «Sentinelle d'Haïti» took the place. lts name will change several times but spreading the government ideology remained its main objective.
  • From 1804 to 1949. Max Bissainthe has counted 885 newspapers some of which exist until today like Le Moniteur (1845), Le Nouvelliste (1898) and Le Matin (1907). The period before the American occupation was characterized by the breach and violation of ethic and professional rules. The successive government as its opponents seized the press sector to their profit.
  • Between 1914 and 1934, during the American Occupation, three laws were adopted to regulate the press sector. These laws restricted freedom of the press. The more outspoken journalists were put in jail, like Georges J Petit, who went to prison seventeen times between 1915 and 1971.
  • 1930: Emergence of the broadcasting media. Print media was almost completely abandoned. Broadcasting imposed itself as a real alternative in the country where nearly 85% people were illiterate. Certain well-known radios today were created during this time such as Radio Haiti (1935) and Radio Caraïbes in Port-au-Prince (1949). The provinces, Radio Voix du Nord (1945), Radio Citadelle (1950) and Voix Évangélique in the North department and Radio Indépendance in Gonaïves/Artibonite (1953) emerged.
  • 1957-1986. The coming of TV established the domination of audiovisual media. Télé Haiti, in 1959, became the first cable TV in the country. During the 29 years Duvalier's dictatorship, there is systematic violation of basic freedoms of the press; harassment, torture of journalists, censorship. Many journalists went into exile.
  • In 1979, the government launched the National Television of Haiti (TNH) a TV real mass media. Unfortunately, since its creation TNH has remained an instrument of propaganda for the government.
  • Since 1986, the press sector has experienced constant change. Indeed, several journalists have been imprisoned or killed for their ideology, their affinity for political groups or their objectivity.
  • The hope for a free media vanished when the military coup against Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

When Aristide returned from exile in 1994, the press was expecting an improvement in freedom. The assassination of Jean-Léopold Dominique, owner and director of Radio Haiti Inter in 2000, and Brignol Lindor, political columnist and editorial director in Radio Echo 2000 in 2001 showed that the hope for assuring press freedom was disillusionment

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